16 February 2023 , 16:10
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Cat enthusiasts from across Europe have been flying to Poland to meet a city's top rated attraction.
A sizeable black-and-white cat named Gacek is now arguably an icon in Szczecin, a large sea port whose previous residents include feminist icon Catherine the Great.
The hefty feline has become the top-rated tourist attraction in the Polish city, clocking up more than 2,500 reviews and achieving a near perfect 4.9/5 score, local news reports.
For years Gacek has been living out of a box on Kaszubska Street, earning the affection and attention of locals who are keen to feed the hungry mammal.
His international stardom was launched in 2020 after local news outlet wSzczecinie featured him in a video which went viral.
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Have you visited Gacek? Email [email protected]
Kot Gacek is well known and loved in the city (wSzczecinie/Youtube)Since then many people have made the journey to Szszecin to meet the 'King of Kaszubska Street' for themselves.
One person claimed to have made the trip all the way from Oslo, Norway - a journey of close to 1,000kms - to meet the cat.
“As expected, he didn’t pay any attention to me which made the experience fully wholesome,” one visitor from Oslo wrote.
"If I could have a dinner with anyone in the world, I would fly again in an instant to feed him. Can recommend!"
“Good cat for a nice evening or even afternoon,” another commented.
The cat has been visited thousands of times (Google Maps)Another wrote: "Fantastically handsome and superb fellow, Gacek graced us with his presence. We were humbly in awe of His Magnificence."
While Gacek is technically a street cat, he does have a box which he calls home, and an owner who looks after him.
An animal shelter in the city has urged people not to feed him, as excessive attention and treats from his admirers has led the celebrity cat to put on some timber, Gazeta.pl reports.
“I happily pose for pictures, but please don’t stroke me while I’m having a nap,” a note by his home reads.
You can name a litter box after your ex and watch cats do their business over it
He has a small box he lives in on the street (wSzczecinie/Youtube)A number of Instagram pages have been set up in recent years to track Gacek's progress and post pictures of him.
Reviews of Gacek are currently a little hard to come by on Google Maps, as his specific page appears to have been removed.
It is currently unclear why the page has been taken down.